Seussapalooza

Dr. Seuss’ colorful characters and imaginative tales are aimed at children, but their messages resonate with just about anyone.

Proof of Seuss’ legacy lays in “Seussical,” the musical mish-mash of his classic anti-tomes that Walpole High actors will bring to the stage this week.

Veronica Hamlett

Dr. Seuss’ colorful characters and imaginative tales are aimed at children, but their messages resonate with just about anyone.

Proof of Seuss’ legacy lays in “Seussical,” the musical mish-mash of his classic anti-tomes that Walpole High actors will bring to the stage this week.

“Seussical,” the final show of the year for Walpole High’s drama club, ends the season with a bang, director Jim D’Attilio said. The large cast takes on a variety of Seuss characters and sings and dances through the entire show – all written in Seuss’ trademark verse.

It’s an ambitious undertaking, one that D’Attilio was hesitant to do. “Seussical,” debuted on Broadway in 2000 to mixed reviews and then went through several re-writes, but D’Attilio eventually fell for the version that Walpole students are now performing.

“One thing that sort of held us first at back was thinking it was more of a young children’s show, but it isn’t really. It’s got great music,” D’Attilio said. “The concept of Dr. Seuss might be young, but the show itself is really, anybody of any age can enjoy it. So once we really looked at it closer, we thought, why not? Let’s give this a try.”

Junior Mike McKeon championed “Seussical” for years, he said. Now playing Horton the good-natured elephant, he’s happy his love for Seuss is a shared one.

“The plot gets a little complicated, but I think it stays very interesting all the time. There are no boring moments,” McKeon said. “There’s always something new happening and just, all the different characters, it combines all the books I loved as a child into one musical.”

In “Seussical,” Horton must protect the Whos of Whoville, who live on a tiny speck of dust. The Cat in the Hat, the show’s narrator, introduces Horton to JoJo, a young Who learning to think for himself.

As JoJo, sophomore Rory Hardiman said he doesn’t consider himself a lead actor when so many characters must come together.

“Everybody has their one moment to shine, and its not like there’s one character that’s like, ‘oh I wish I was them,’” Hardiman said. “Everybody has a moment.”

Slipping on the Cat in the Hat’s trademark white gloves, striped stovepipe hat and sly smile, senior Jack Gately said some pressure comes with portraying Seuss’ unofficial mascot. Since the Cat in the Hat is the show’s emcee, though, he gets more free rein in “Seussical.”

“I loved reading the books growing up,” said Gately, who named “The Cat in the Hat” as his favorite. “I loved the idea that he has no arc in the story. He has fun and does what he wants, and that’s fun to play, to just have fun with it.”

“Seussical” is almost entirely sung, with more than 30 musical numbers coming one after the other. Rehearsals required a different approach than traditional musicals, D’Attilio said.

“Generally how a show is done, in a week, week in a half, the whole show’s blocked and then you go back and fill in the pieces. Not with this one,” D’Attilio said. “We have to work in lockstep. We have to choreograph, learn the music, fix the blocking, all basically together before we could go onto the next song because everything is so interlocked.”

The show required rehearsals five days a week, D’Attilio said, but many of the actors found learning songs easier than lines from a script, especially since the lyrics rhymed.

“There’s one line that doesn’t rhyme, and I can never remember it,” said junior Genevieve Canavan, who plays Sour Kangaroo. “I always forget it just because it doesn’t rhyme. I feel uncomfortable saying it.”

Sour Kangaroo and Mayzie Bird, played by senior Jess McNamara, serve as villains in the show. Sour Kangaroo tries to get other characters to think Horton is crazy for hearing the Whos of Whoville on the speck of dust. Mayzie Bird, McNamara said, isn’t a true villain since she has good intentions, but she tends to look out for herself.

Horton finds an ally in another bird, Gertrude, played by sophomore Michelle Murray.

“She’s awkward and really sweet and in love with Horton and tries whatever she can to get Horton to notice her,” Murray said. “The show is a lot of work. I lost my voice a couple times, but then you just have to go easy and it comes back.”

JoJo’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mayor, present an obstacle when they don’t understand his desire to think for himself. Seniors Evan Parsons and Rebecca Chariton, as JoJo’s parents, take special meaning in the show’s song “Oh the Thinks You Can Think,” which stems from Seuss’ book “Oh the Places You’ll Go.”

“This is a good show to do as a senior,” Chariton said. “It’s a lot of hard work that’s going to pay off.”

“Seussical” opens Saturday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the high school auditorium, and a second performance will be on Sunday, March 10 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens.

Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at the high school this Friday, March 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.